Services Offered ~ Self-Guided/Self-Catered Option ~ Guided & Catered Option ~ Guiding Services ~ Catering Services ~ Season of Operation ~ Group Size ~ Group Organizer Discount ~ 2009 Season Rates ~ Available Weeks ~ Reservations ~ Payments Required for Booking ~ Forms of Payment ~ Gratuities ~ Trip Insurance ~ Helicopter Transport Costs ~ Poor Weather Policy ~ Cancellation Policy ~ Evacuation Policy and Medical Insurance ~ Waiver of Liability Requirement ~ Minors Policy ~ Booking Form

SERVICES OFFERED
At Powder Creek Lodge we offer comfortable accommodation in a spectacular backcountry setting. We offer optional services ranging from full guiding and catering services, to self-guided/self-catered. Whatever options clients choose, we make all the arrangements for them for helicopter travel, accommodation at the lodge, guiding and catering services (if requested). These options are described in detail in the following sections.   

GUIDED & CATERED OPTION
Guests who choose this option will be able to fully relax and enjoy their backcountry skiing experience. They will be provided with the services of guides and a caterer and all meals will be provided. These services are described in more detail in the following sections. 

GUIDING SERVICES
The terrain at Powder Creek is relatively complex and could be potentially hazardous under some conditions. Employing the services of guides allows guests to fully and safely enjoy their skiing experience without having to break trail, make decisions about safe travel, or assess snow stability and avalanche hazard. The guides who work with us know the terrain well and do their best to find terrain and snow to suit the needs of each group. We strongly recommend that all first time guests or those with minimal backcountry experience use our guides.

Groups who choose guiding services will be provided with either one or two guides (see note) depending on the group size.  The first will be a Lead Guide, a highly experienced, professional 'Ski Guide' certified by the Association of Canadian Mountain Guides (A.C.M.G).  The second will be an Assistant Guide, usually someone who is a guide-in-training working on gaining their certification as a Ski Guide. They are accredited 'Assistant Ski Guides' through the A.C.M.G.  They can guide guests on their own under the supervision of the Lead Guide if the Lead Guide determines it is safe to do so.  Please note that weather and snow stability conditions dictate when it is safe to split up a group, and it may not always be appropriate.

Note: For groups of 8 or less only one guide, a Lead Guide, will be provided.  For groups of 9 – 12, both a Lead Guide and an Assistant Guide will be provided.

CATERING SERVICES
We are lucky to have the services of some wonderful talented chefs who can make even the most discerning diner hurry at the end of the day in anticipation of dinner. Our menu is changed annually and contains a delectable mixture of 'comfort', 'world', and 'nouveau' foods. Several of the meals feature local organic meats and foods. Accommodations can be made for those with special dietary requirements or food allergies. All breakfasts have a hot item such as Breakfast Burritos or French Toast, and a selection of cold items like cereal, fruit, and yogurt. For lunches our chef will lay out a selection of food, including fresh baked goods, for guests to make their own bag lunches. When guests return to the lodge at the end of a long ski day they will find mouthwatering appetizers awaiting them, followed by a delectable dinner and homemade desert. Although we do offer a full range of hot and cold non-alcoholic refreshments we are not licensed to sell liquor. Guests wishing to drink alcohol are welcome to bring their own.

SELF-GUIDED/SELF-CATERED OPTION (now available any time throughout the season)
This option includes our basic accommodation package. This includes helicopter transportation to and from the lodge, the use of all facilities provided in the general use area of the lodge and bathhouse, a fully outfitted kitchen, and bedding.  For the comfort and safety of our guests we also provide a lodge custodian for every group. The custodian coordinates loading and unloading gear from the helicopter, orienting guests, maintaining all the facilities and equipment at the lodge, maintaining a record of the weather and snowpack conditions, and will assist in any emergencies.

Guests must provide their own transportation to Nelson and Kaslo, their own ski gear, personal safety gear (avalanche transceivers, shovels, probes etc.), toiletries, food and beverages. For guests requiring information on lodging, restaurants, and renting gear locally we suggest exploring our 'Links' page for options. Information can also be found there about a tour and transport company called 'Go Wild Tours' that may be able to help with transport between airports and Nelson and Kaslo.

Although there will always be an employee of Powder Creek on-site, all those booking as self-guided will be fully responsible for their own safety and that of all their group members. They will need to educate themselves to the type of terrain found in Powder Creek, and ensure all members of their group possess sufficient training and experience to be fully responsible for their own safety. They will need to have current and adequate training in using rescue equipment and conducting backcountry rescues, in snow stability analysis, first aid training, and backcountry travel and route finding skills.  

SEASON OF OPERATION
Our operating season is mid-December through to the end of April. During this period we offer one-week (7 days, 7 nights) stays starting and ending on Sundays. We occasionally offer shorter trips as well; contact us to check on availability.

GROUP SIZE
The minimum group size we will accept reservations for is 6 for Self-Guided/Self-Catered groups, and 8 for Guided/Catered groups.  We occasionally have space for individuals or small groups, so check with us if you're interested in this option. Although we will not reserve specific dates for individuals, we will do our best to accommodate your preference of dates while placing you with other groups. Groups wishing exclusive use of the lodge must pay for a minimum of 11 spaces.

Our lodge is designed to comfortably accommodate 16 people total (guests and staff). We have 15 beds available for guests at the lodge, and all these beds are available for guests on Self-Guided/Self-Catered weeks. For Guided/Catered weeks we recommend limiting the guest group size to 12 as the remaining 4 spaces will be taken up by staff. On these weeks there will still be 3 extra beds available for guests if they decide they want to bring that many people, but the group use areas (dining table, drying areas, sauna) get more crowded with more than 16 people.

GROUP ORGANIZER DISCOUNT
Due to the nature of the operation and the restrictions caused by being helicopter-accessed, we prefer to deal with groups of 12 guests represented by a single organizer/contact person. For that reason we offer a free week's accommodation and helicopter transport (plus free catering and guiding if the group chooses these options) for the person organizing and acting as the contact for a group of 12. Organizing responsibilities consist of putting together the group and maintaining group numbers (organizing replacements if required), collecting and submitting all funds from the group, ensuring all members of the group are familiar with our booking policies, distributing and collecting all information for the group, ensuring all group members read a copy of our waiver prior to their trip, and coordinating group communications with our company. Note that this discount offer will not apply to groups of 12 who do not have a group organizer.

2009 SEASON RATES
Our 2009 season rates are provided in the following table. Rates will be updated by June 1st each year and will generally be good for a one-year term. Our annual rate increase is normally less than 10%. We reserve the right to change our rates at any time. All rates are given in Canadian funds. Note that we offer our shoulder season weeks at a discount of $300 CAD per-person off our regular rate. Shoulder season weeks are Dec. 21 – 28/08, Jan. 4 – 11/09, Apr. 12 – 19/09, Apr. 19 – 26/09.

2009 SEASON RATES
Type of Service Desired	Cost* per Week
	Per 1 Person	Per 6 People	Per 12 People
Self-Guided/Self-Catered	$1,375	$8,250	$15,125
Catered	$1,800	$10,800	$19,800
Guided	$1,850	$11,100	$20,350
Guided & Catered	$2,200	$13,200	$24,200

*Prices are subject to an additional 5% G.S.T. tax)
*All prices include helicopter transport cost

AVAILABLE WEEKS
For a listing of the weeks that are currently available click here: Available Weeks - 2009 Season. This listing is updated regularly, but availability can change by the hour during busy periods. We recommend giving us a call to check on the current listing of available weeks prior to placing your booking. If you don't see a week listed that you would prefer it means another group has already booked that week. Please contact us if you wish to be placed on a Cancellation Waiting List for any week that is previously booked.

RESERVATIONS
All reservations, regardless of what year they are made for, are taken on a first-come basis; the first group* to reserve and pay a deposit gets the booking. No booking will be considered secured until the full deposit is received (for information on deposits required see 'Payments' section). For those dates where there is high demand, proof of payment such as a photocopy of the deposit cheque may be requested. Reservations can be made by completing the registration form provided on the 'Bookings Form' page, by phone, or by completing the paper form supplied with our information package. Those placing a booking with us will be asked to provide their preference of dates, group size, services desired (i.e. Self-Guided/Self-Catered, Catered, Guided, or Catered & Guided), and group organizer contact information. See 'Trip Insurance' section for details about purchasing insurance, which needs to be purchased when the reservation is made. Please note that if any payments are overdue we reserve the right to cancel your reservation and rebook the space. We also reserve the right to cancel a reservation at any time, and will provide a full refund if this occurs.

* Groups must be a minimum size of 6 for Self-Catered/Self-Guided, or 8 for Guided/Catered (see 'Group Size' section for details)

For a listing of the dates that are currently available at Powder Creek Lodge click here: Available Weeks - 2009 Season. If the dates you are interested in are not available we also maintain a Cancellation Waiting list. If you are interested in having your name added to our waiting list we will need to know your preference of dates, group size, services desired (i.e. Self-Guided/Self-Catered or Guided & Catered), and group organizer contact information. We add names to the waiting list in the order they were received and do our best to match up available spaces with groups wanting similar services.

PAYMENTS REQUIRED FOR BOOKING
Reservations for the 2009 season will require two payments. The first payment is a deposit equal to 30% of the full booked price (prior to taxes) and is due within four weeks of placing the booking. The second payment is a final payment of the full trip cost and it is due 12 weeks prior to your departure date. Please note that both payments are non-refundable unless we are able to rebook cancelled spaces at the full terms of the original reservation (see 'Cancellation Policy' section).  See 'Forms of Payment' section regarding details about how to make payments.  

PAYMENTS FOR FUTURE SEASONS
Reservations for future seasons (2010 and beyond) require three payments. The first is a non-refundable deposit of $500 CAN for a group of 7 to 12, or $250 CAN for a group of 6. A second deposit equal to 30% of the full booked price (prior to taxes) will be due by January 15th of the season previous to the trip. The final payment of the full trip cost is due 12 weeks prior to your departure date.

Please note that the rate charged will be for the year the trip is actually taking place in, not the rate for the year that the trip was booked (i.e. for a trip that will take place in Feb 2009 that was booked in 2008, the rate charged will be the 2009 rate). Rates for the upcoming season will be posted by June 1st each year. Our annual rate increase is normally less than 10%. If we raise our per-person rates by more than 10% of the previous year, and people who have bookings with us find they can't afford our new rates and wish to cancel, we will provide a full refund of their first deposit if they cancel their booking before June 15th.

FORMS OF PAYMENT
Payments can be made by personal cheques, either in Canadian funds or foreign funds equivalent to Canadian dollars. They should be made out to 'Powder Creek Lodge', and if they are in foreign funds must be sufficient to cover the payment required after they are exchanged . Please contact us if you wish to make a payment in foreign funds, and we will advise you on what the equivalent is in Canadian dollars. Note that the exchange rate we get at our bank at the time of deposit will likely be slightly different from what it was at the time you wrote the cheque, and you will be credited with the actual amount of exchange our bank provides us with on the date of the deposit. If, after exchanging your payment, we find there is a difference of $20 CAD or greater owing, we will ask you to submit more funds to cover this.  A $20 service charge will be charged for any dishonored cheques.

GRATUITIES
Gratuities are not included in our rates and are entirely at guest's discretion. Any gratuities offered will be gratefully accepted and shared equally among all the staff that attended your stay.

TRIP INSURANCE
We highly recommend you consider purchasing Trip Cancellation and Hospital/Medical Evacuation Insurance when you book a trip with us (see our Cancellation and Evacuation policies). We offer trip insurance through a local broker at a cost of approximately 4%-6% of your total trip price, depending on what services you require. The insurance they offer is limited to a range of 12 specified risks including cancellations for medical conditions, death in the family, and job loss. Note that trip delays or cancellations due to poor weather are not included in the coverage. If you are interested in purchasing or finding out more about the insurance offered through our local broker, please contact Glacier Travel Ltd at 1-800-900-9228 or (250) 352-2200, or by e-mail at glacier.travel@telus.net. Note that this particular insurance must be purchased within 72 hours after initial deposit is paid. You may also be able to find insurance coverage that better suites your needs through another company.  

HELICOPTER TRANSPORT COSTS
In order to ensure the best possible guest safety and make trip planning easy and economical for our guests, we deal with a single local helicopter transport company. The helicopter company charges us a fixed rate to transport guests, and we in turn pass that charge on to guests as part of the trip package price. This fixed rate is based on the helicopter being full and costs being shared by both incoming and outgoing guests (this is called 'dovetailing'). It is also based on all flights occurring consecutively. If guests create circumstances where dovetailing and consecutive flights do not occur there will be an additional helicopter charge to guests. Some of the circumstances where extra charges apply are where clients require a mid-week flight, clients are late for flights, or clients insist on being flown even if it means all flights cannot be done consecutively (i.e. poor weather where only one flight can be completed). These extra charges will be at the discretion of the helicopter transport company and will vary with the circumstances.

POOR WEATHER POLICY
Being a helicopter accessed lodge, weather dictates all of our coming and goings to and from the lodge. Helicopters cannot fly in poor weather conditions. It's not uncommon for flights to be delayed by several hours and occasionally even a day or more. If this occurs there will be no additional charges for guests staying at the lodge that are delayed flying out, but guests delayed on their flights in to the lodge are responsible for all expenses due to the delay. No refunds or rain cheques will be given for delays or trip cancellations due to bad weather. We highly recommend that guests keep potential delays in mind when making travel plans and purchase travel insurance and trip cancellation insurance for all modes of travel when planning their trip.

CANCELLATION POLICY
All payments are non-refundable unless we are able to rebook the cancelled spaces at the full terms of the original reservation . If this occurs we will provide a full refund in Canadian funds. Alternatively, if we receive a cancellation before the 12 week final payment deadline we will try to find you another week at our lodge for the same season and transfer your reservation. No refunds or rain cheques will be made for leaving early or arriving late or days lost to unforeseen circumstances. All cancellations must be made in writing. We strongly recommend you purchase trip cancellation insurance when you place a booking with us.

EVACUATION POLICY AND MEDICAL INSURANCE
In the event of an accident where evacuation is necessary, payment of any rescue or evacuation costs will be the responsibility of the injured party. As any evacuations will be made by helicopter the costs can be considerable. We strongly recommend that you consider purchasing hospitalization and medical evacuation insurance for your trip.

WAIVER OF LIABILITY REQUIREMENT
Backcountry recreation in uncontrolled wilderness environments contains many elements that are impossible to predict reliably. As an experienced backcountry recreator you are already aware of the hazards present in wilderness environment, and you accept that these hazards are a part of the sport you choose to participate in. As a condition of our license with the Province of British Columbia we are required to ensure that all guests sign a liability waiver form when they book a stay at our lodge. This document is a contract that states that you are aware of the hazards inherent to backcountry recreating and that you relinquish your rights to sue us, our helicopter transport company, or the Province of British Columbia. All guests are required to read, sign, and return the waiver document(s) to us prior to departing for the lodge. Click here to view our  Guided Waiver or our Self-Guided Waiver.

MINORS POLICY
We are again happy to be able to welcome minors (children under the age of 19 years) to our lodge.  All minors must be accompanied at all times by a parent or adult charged with their care.

Click here to go to the Bookings Form

Click here to look at a listing of Full Moon Dates